"I do have two state titles, but it would have been nice to walk away with four."

Her titles are two more than most divers have. But for a competitor of Cook's caliber - she narrowly missed a berth in the London Olympics - it's disappointing. There are numerous two- and three-time state champs, including another one in her own family. Older sister Kara won 5A diving titles in 2006 and 2007 at The Woodlands.

Of course, Kassidy doesn't have time for regret. The Stanford commit is too busy training for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, and besides, she didn't get this far by feeling sorry for herself.

"There's no dwelling on the past," Conroe ISD diving coach Daniel Sautural said. "It's that (Vince) Lombardi type of thing. There's no option, the goal is imminent, and it must happen, and that's the way she trains.

"So it's all positive all the time - always looking ahead."

For proof, look to her past.

Impressive résumé

Cook was only 10 when she notched her first win at the Junior Pan American Championships, sweeping the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform dives. She won the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the World Junior Diving Championships in 2010, she's a four-time USA Diving junior national champ in the 1-meter, and she has competed all over the world.

"Diving's my whole life," Cook said. "I put in a lot of work for it, and I practice a lot. So hard work's definitely a big part of it, but I have to give the most credit to the people I surround myself with."

That's why it was so hard to miss state as a sophomore.

She was at a USA Diving meet in Iowa trying to qualify for nationals at the same time regionals were going on in Texas. She wanted to fly back for the day to compete, but a snowstorm in Iowa threatened to prevent her return if she did, and the national meet was more important.

Cook returned to state last year and claimed her second championship with a state-record 594.5 points - surpassing the top boys mark of 593.6 set by The Woodlands' Drew Livingston in 2008.

Sidelined by shoulder

But after finishing second in the 3-meter synchronized springboard competition at the Olympic Trials last summer - only a half-point away from qualifying for London - she injured her shoulder in July.

"I dislocated it before I landed in the water, so it was already dislocated, and when I landed in the water, it yanked it more," Cook said. "I ended up tearing my labrum."

Cook had surgery the same month, started therapy three weeks later, then spent the next five months rehabbing.

Her coaches at The Woodlands hoped she would return for the district meet, but she wasn't cleared until a few days after it. She finally completed her full list of dives last week - a little too late.

"It's definitely disappointing because I would have loved to dive at state my senior year and represent The Woodlands High School one last time, but I'm not trying to dwell on the past. I've just got to set myself new goals," Cook said. "But I know coach K (Kent Kirchner) and coach Sautural were both disappointed as well."